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Mathematics, Affect and Learning pp 75–89Cite as

Differences in the Affective Responses of Various Groups

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Abstract

There is a general understanding that mathematics is not popular or well-liked among students and people in general. In this chapter we report on findings of t-tests and ANOVAs from a large quantitative New Zealand study (n = 1784) which investigated the affective responses of students vis-à-vis gender, cultural identity, socio-economic status (SES) and type of school. The analysis revealed that: while males liked mathematics more than females, females liked school more; Maori and Pasifika students were more positive towards mathematics, but more likely to have a traditional belief and more anxiety; and, students from lower SES backgrounds were less positive in their affective responses to mathematics and mathematics education. These findings reflect many of the results of previous studies, indicating that some long-standing concerns still remain and these views are deeply ingrained in society, and therefore, demand attention.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A related study that employed some of the same data as reported here was reported in Grootenboer and Hemmings (2007).

  2. 2.

    There have been other studies based on some of the principles developed by Boaler and Staples. For example, see Grootenboer (2010) and Niesche et al. (2010).

  3. 3.

    The work of Boaler is much broader than just affective issues in mathematics education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, Australia

    Peter Grootenboer

  2. University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia

    Margaret Marshman

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  1. Peter Grootenboer
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  2. Margaret Marshman
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Correspondence to Peter Grootenboer .

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Grootenboer, P., Marshman, M. (2016). Differences in the Affective Responses of Various Groups. In: Mathematics, Affect and Learning. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-679-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-679-9_5

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-287-678-2

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